Custom frames ready for exhibit at the Museum of Church History and Art

Preparing for the upcoming Easter exhibit involves framing two of the four paintings to be included in the show.  Since 1995, Al Young Studios has not only maintained its own frame shop, but has developed a unique approach to meeting its custom framing needs, particularly in terms of museum-quality frames.

Framing can be one of the great riddles that must be solved in the ongoing work of any studio.  Not only is cost an important factor, but getting the desired result from even the best of framers can be a very difficult challenge.  In the early years of trying to figure out how to meet our framing needs, we had the great good fortune to have a very fine experience with a world-class framer; however, businesses come and go, and it eventually turned out that the best approach for us was an in-house solution; not the best choice for everyone, but it worked for us.

The Studios' need for custom frames dates back to the early 1980s when Al's work focused on miniature pencil drawings.  Framing costs were high, the sizes of the artworks to be framed were small, and Al's skill in woodworking and other handcrafts made framing a natural subject of interest.  As his work moved from miniatures to 4 ft. x 8 ft. painted panels, the Studios' framing techniques also expanded.

Today, the Studios' need for large-scale frames is met by a methodology in which the frames are "stick built" from such materials as rough-cut alder and poplar milled in the Studios' woodworking shop, vendor and custom-milled mouldings, composition ornaments, metal leaf and sizing, acrylic paints and sealer, as well as wax.  Creating the frames in-house has made it possible for the influence of the artist to be present throughout the presentation of the artwork.

Not all of the Studios' frames are stick built.  A few consist of moldings that come to the Studios cut and assembled, to be gilded and antiqued or to be modified and then finished.  Sometimes, for example, a shadow box is even added to a frame to provide a jewel case mounting in which to present a miniature lithograph

Upon completion of construction, the frame is prepared for gold leaf, which involves hand-work stages of distressing, preparation (similar to painting-prep), application of adhesive for the leaf, application of the numerous sheets of leaf, and sealing.  All of this work is done by hand.

Then, once the leaf has been applied and sealed, the frame is antiqued.  Antiquing involves tinting the frame and is done with an eye toward ensuring that the color and texture of the frame present the artwork to best effect.  Various techniques are employed in layering the antiquing-glazes, similar to glazes applied during an oil painting.

Tags: 2010, Framing